[ktrsb]

I had never heard a noise like mine was making, and not being familiar with the engine otherwise, I suspected but was not certain that the noise was from the chain, especially before the cold start rattle started. Other candidates were bearing noise from the water pump, tensioners or the fan bracket assembly. As I disassembled the engine, I checked all of these, and they were smooth and quiet. So what about the chain components?

Well, there's your problem:













And the timing chain was "stretched" and worn on the outside (new chain on left for comparison):